Bring happiness home with these Instagram interiors

Thanks to Instagram, we no longer need a set of keys to catch a glimpse of the world’s most joyful homes. So, as part of our Happy New Decade scheme of all things endorphin-raising, we’re highlighting the on-the-grid interiors that are putting smiles on our faces. Scroll and tap to discover the accounts in question, our curation of homeware to set a happy tone and an interview with Interior Designer Emma Merry. Do try this at home.

The eyebrow-raiser: @selettiworld

@selettiworld is a confetti cannon of surreal, eccentric interiors, spanning all kinds of quirk and kitsch. Think of it as visual hypnotherapy for the reluctant maximalist: with photographic upholstery, pattern clashing and mice holding lightbulbs (yes, really) dotting your feed, this brand’s account invites you to celebrate the playful end of the interiors scale. When it comes to bringing some of that mood home, we say swap in Seletti’s very own designs, fill a blank wall with The Art of Ping Pong’s canvases that transform into (you guessed it) ping-pong tables, then challenge guests to a brighter-than-usual game of backgammon, courtesy of Jonathan Adler.

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The Technicolor dream: @indiamahdavi

Interior Designer India Mahdavi’s feed is an entire internet universe apart from the Scandi minimalism trend – after all, she is the designer who dreamt up the dusty-pink Gallery at Sketch (AKA the most Instagrammed restaurant in London). From all-green bathrooms to the simple, bright flash of an orange cushion or pistachio-green kitchen tile, her shots capture the mood-boosting potential of the boldest Pantone shades. If a top-to-toe redecorate sounds a little scary, start by dotting around our Selfridges-yellow exclusives, Vitra’s monochromatic trays and 19-69’s rainbow candles.

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Playful talking points

Colour is the most effective way to create a joyful and happy space. Somehow, it adds energy and vitality – the more, the merrier.

– Interior Designer India Mahdavi

Colour is the most effective way to create a joyful and happy space.

Somehow, it adds energy and vitality – the more, the merrier.

– Interior Designer India Mahdavi

The arty one: @dabito

The opposite of a stuffy gallery, this feed provides a soothing scroll through the rooms that Creative Director Dabito curates – including the colourful corners of his Los Angeles and New Orleans homes (with cameos from his pet cats and dogs). Fun-filled frames and a scattering of sculptures dot each artfully designed space – we say the key to emulating these set-ups is to have fun. Go for a sculpture that catches your eye – a Mickie Mouse ornament, say – or something that’ll become a talking point (CC: the Yayoi Kusama dots on MoMA’s skateboard decks).

The nosey neighbour: @homemilk

Home Milk lifts the roof on the UK’s most intriguing interiors and brings us along via Instagram and her witty, no-frills observations. Founder Emma Merry – a Selfridges alumna turned Interior Designer – describes herself as “a kind of modern format Lloyd Grossman”, unlocking a different home each week and using her feed to detail the pieces, paint colours and people that make these spaces so inviting. We caught up with Emma about the happy homes she captures and helps clients to create – read the interview below for her insights.

Colour it in

Meet Interior Designer and founder of @homemilk Emma Merry

What led you to start Home Milk?
I trained in interior styling but a lack of confidence and even off-putting advice from others in the industry meant I put my passion on the back-burner. Until one day it just clicked: I could mix my experience as a producer, my knowledge of digital content and my ambition to be the nosiest neighbour in town together and make Home Milk.

How would you describe what you do at Home Milk?
I take my camera and nosey around amazing UK homes, then feature one homeowner and their home per week over on @homemilk. I was always frustrated with the way interior design felt – so inaccessible to your average Joe. So, there’s no posh talk from me. There’s always a dash of humour. I also run online styling courses, styling for brands, colour consultancy and tiered interior services, and have recently launched Home Milk Meets where I interview industry experts on my sofa.

What do you look for when you’re finding homes to feature?
In a nutshell, creativity and passion. I’m not looking for homes that are a bit ‘paint by numbers’, even if they do have a fancy Ligne Roset sofa. The homeowners have been a variety of wonderful humans – some with formal interior design training and many who don’t but have a natural flair for it. Artists, lawyers, teachers, cheesemakers – you name it!

What are your top tips for styling a happy home?
I am a HUGE colour lover and would highly recommend experimenting with it. It has the power to transform your walls, your emotions and wellbeing. I think the subject will be big in 2020 and one I will be talking more about.

Bring in some nature. Get your palms out! There’s something magical about plants: not only are they a beautiful and cost-effective home-styling item, but they also come with their own health benefits: cleansing the air, reducing blood pressure etc.

Where is your happy place?
I think if Jardin Majorelle could be my own personal home and spa, that would be it. But failing that, it would be in my own colourful home, surrounded by my pals and family with a large cold prosecco….and maybe a Ferrero Rocher mountain.

What’s the one thing in your home that always makes you smile?
Oooh, tricky question. I’m supposed to say my family, right? No? OK cool, well it would be my fluoro-yellow staircase. 

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